A Welcome Burden
by Smythy
Summary: *Beta Title* Coping with your emotions can be hard, but as an adolescence, it feels like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. Throw in a Pokemon journey and a hell load of coffee. This could get interesting.
1. It's All Over

**Kay, new story. I will nearly definitely continue this one. Mainly just wanted to get something up before Christmas. Saying that, the next update wont be up till well after Crimbo!**

**This Chapter is mainly a way of kicking the story off the ground, so it will be **_**kinda**_** boring**

**Don't be pissed by the start, if it sounds a bit... you know. I just find stuff like angst a lot easier to write about.**

**Song: It's All Over by Three Days Grace.**

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Life Sucks! I'm sorry, but it does. Not the most cheery note to start a story on, but I needed to put it in there somewhere. Not everyone's, oh no, some are great. Some people go through their whole life's without the slightest hint of bleakness. Others make their life's go a little bit more smoothly by hurting other people.

Then there are people like me. People whose life's don't actually suck that bad, but they let themselves think it does. This, dear listener, is a disease called depression. Many people around the world suffer from depression, and I, unfortunately, have one of the earliest stages of it. The highest stage being what you asshole's label 'emo'. Even 'emo's' (god I hate labelling people) don't have it too bad. Think about many of the Southern World countries and regions. Think they have it better than you? The answer is clearly no. Dictatorship and debt have crippled their economies and some people, including myself, have the nerve to say that they're life sucks! Well, no, it doesn't.

Well, anyway, lets proceed with the story...

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_"I really should be doing my homework"_ The thought went through my head solemnly as I rolled onto my stomach. I was lying on my bed, in my small box of a bedroom. Well, it would be a box, if we hadn't had a wardrobe fitted in the right corner. From top view it looked like a wonky right angle. I sat up and stretched. It was 8.00 in the afternoon and my dinner was well digested. I got up and situated myself in front of the computer screen at the end of my bed. The monitor blinked into existence as I sat down on the small fold out chair. It took a while for it to start up and when it finally did, it depicted a group of five, all standing arm in arm and laughing. The two at the back were my parents, while I was the one in the front, albeit at seven or eight. Behind me was my brother and beside him was...

"Sis, why'd you have to go?" I sobbed, gently stroking the computerized image of my dead sister. It has been seven or eight years since the incident and I've mostly gotten over it, but the pain is still there. I lowered my hand my hand onto the mouse and opened up Google. I was searching random stuff while listening to music off of YouTube (you know you do it too). I found myself listening to _Disturbed, Three Days Grace _and_ Billy Talent_ a lot lately but I didn't think much of it, they're all great bands.

"Electrike, trike!" The small electric dog Pokemon shuffled through the open doorway, his spiked tail wagging slightly. He bounded onto the bed next to me and settled down, his head on his paws. Raijú (what, I know my Japanese lore) had been one of my only few real friends in my whole life, and I've only had him for about two years. I scratched him behind the ear and he rubbed his crest shaped head against my palm, causing it to tingle. I turned my attention back to the monitor. On it was a map of Pokéarth, stretching from the urban area of Rustboro in Hoenn all the way to the quainter Haruba village in Almia. There, off the coast of Kanto and, surprisingly, close to Sinnoh was Kin island or, as it was more commonly known as, three island.

I stared at the map blankly for a few more seconds before shutting the computer down. "We'll get there eventually mate" I sighed, getting up. Ray let out a Trike of agreement. I glanced at my watch; it was only 9.30. I yawned. _"Time for an early night"_ I thought. I had nothing better to do, and I really wasn't in the mood for doing my homework. I got undressed quickly and brushed my teeth before splashing my face with cold water a few times. I don't know why but, for some reason, it helps me sleep. I stared up into the overhead mirror of the landing bathroom, scrutinizing my every feature.

I wasn't really your average teenager of 15 that lives in the Sevii islands. I was of average height with pale blue eyes and covered with millions of freckles. I mean _millions_! They covered my face, my arms and my legs, and I was lucky that they didn't cover any other part of me. The main thing that made me different was my hair. The back flows freely down to the base of my neck in a mullet'ish sort of way while the fringe nearly hangs down over my eyes. The crown is generally messy and untidy and has been commonly referred to as a bird's nest. I never spiked it up, which is the 'cool' thing to do, and I've been trying to grow it longer, but my mam literally drags me kicking and screaming to get it cut.

I held my fringe up to get a good view of my forehead. Pimples had started to set in and they'd nearly covered my hairline, while blackheads had found their way onto my nose. My mam says it's because of the sweat from my hair, but I think it's more from stress.

I turned off the lights and got into bed quietly. Ray, curled in a ball at the bottom of my bed, was already fast asleep, and wouldn't be awoken as I got in, even if I tried. I was nearly asleep when I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I lazily cracked an eyelid open. It was my mother, coming to check in on me. She did this every night. I was turned the other way, facing the wall. She probably thought I was conked out as she walked out and got into bed herself. Minutes later I heard choked sobs escaping from her room. She was crying again.

As she does every night,

About the same thing,

Over and over,

_Sis._

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"Ben? Ben? Time to get up." My mam called from downstairs.

"Mmph?" I replied, slightly muffled, mainly because half of my pillow was stuffed down my throat. I pushed the quilt off me and sat up. Ray wasn't there, probably downstairs, stuffing his face. I got up groggily, nearly falling over in the process.

_God, I feel like shit._ First thought of the day, perfect. I have a theory. The first thing that goes through your head will affect how your day plans out. To combat that, I have another theory. The way you think about yourself, the world and those around you will affect your mood. It always depends on what mood I'm in. If I'm in a bad mood, the first theory, a good mood and its the second theory. So essentially, I could be having a shit day, but be in a good mood. Not that I'm in a good mood that often anyway.

I urged my self out of my room and down the stairs. It was through sheer willpower that I didn't run back up to my room and throw myself back into bed. I poured myself a bowl of Honey Nut Loops and a glass of orange juice, before sitting down at my favourite part of our brown leather sofa, in front of the T.V. My mam, Bernie, was sitting next to me staring blankly at the television. Her eyes were puffy and red, but only slightly. A few hours of sleep had almost cured it of that. I turned my attention back to the T.V. Some morning show was playing. The presenters, one woman and one man, were talking about the winner of _The Apprentice!_

Now living in the Sevii islands, you get a mixture of T.V channels from both the Hoenn region and the Kanto region. Along with a mixture of products from the Kanto and Hoenn region. Being a small island(s) nation kind of sucks sometimes.

"Hurry up and finish your breakfast, the lads will be calling for ya soon." My mam murmured, hardly blinking.

"Soon?" I burst, my mouth half full with the little hoop things "I've only woken up, and they don't call for me for another hour. And that's still too bloody soon"

"Well, go up and have a wash then" she replied, still in her trance like state. I sighed. She was getting more and more out of it every day. I trudged up the stairs, Ray joining me soon after I got undressed. He had been playing with our family's Meowth, Pheobe. Those two got on surprisingly well, all things considered. I had a nice long... shower, making sure to dry myself thoroughly. I put on some music before quickly getting dressed. The lead singer belted out the lyrics with enough force to be heard on the other side of the island. My mam doesn't care anymore, and I certainly don't care. I couldn't give a shit about what the neighbours thought.

_Your bottles' almost empty  
You know this can't go on  
Because of you my mind is always racing  
The needles' breaking your skin  
The scar is sinking in  
And now your trip begins but  
It's all over for  
It's all over for_

Ray was idly grooming himself. He didn't mind the music either. In fact, he kind of liked it, occasionally yapping along with the lyrics. I checked my watch; it was 8.10. I had another 20 minutes or so, so I decided I might aswell do my homework. I pulled out my books and started with... ugh, French. Hardly anyone speaks French near here, with the exception of the small group of French living in Hearthome.

_You  
For you  
When you're on the edge and falling off  
It's all over for you  
For you  
When you're on the edge and falling off  
It's all over_

_I know what runs through your blood  
You do this all in vain  
Because of you my mind is always racing  
And it gets under my skin  
To see you giving it  
And now your trip begins but  
It's all over for  
It's all over for_

"Dieu, je déteste les Français" I murmured darkly. Literally translated it means: God, I hate French. I hurried myself with that small bit of homework so I could be done with quickly. Ray had finished washing himself and was waiting patiently at my feet.

_You  
For you  
When you're on the edge and falling off  
It's all over for you  
For you  
When you're on the edge and falling off  
It's all over_

_And now you're dead inside  
Still you wonder why  
It's all over  
And now you're dead inside  
Still you wonder why  
It's all over_

The song had finished a while ago, but the words still rang clearly in my head, distracting me slightly from my work. Finishing French, I took a stab at my History homework. I had barely laid my pencil against the page when a clear ding reverberated through the house. French must have taken longer than I thought. I stared blankly at the page before stuffing it and my books into my bag. "I'll get it done before Reg." I whispered before heading down the stairs and throwing my jacket on. I yanked the door open and stepped out into the brisk morning air. The weather here is normally tropical, a trait we share with our Orange Archipelago brothers to the south, but it being December, it was bordering on a cool 17 degrees. Two people were waiting in the porch. I liked to call them my 'sub-friends,' as I don't really have much in common with them. Ray scurried out the door before I closed it.

"So, you finish your homework?" Jamie asked. He was small for his age, being a head smaller than I am. His hair was spiked up (Arrgh) and his features were plain enough. I turned and stared at him darkly.

_And now you're dead inside  
Still you wonder why  
When you're on the edge and falling off  
It's all over for (You, for you)  
And now you're dead inside  
Still you wonder why  
When you're on the edge and falling off  
It's all over for (You, for you)  
And now you're dead inside  
Still you wonder why  
It's all over_

_"Oh Boy!"_

_**Next Up:**_ School.

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**R&R please.**


	2. Polyamorous

**Id like to thank AzureFlames, sunshine5991, Cloneskywalker and Arceus Avenger for reviewing.**

**Finally got this chapter up. I have no clue when the next one will be up, but probably not for a while.**

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"Well, what the hell do you think?" I spat at him. Surprisingly, he smiled. He's a bit too used to me by now.

"I think you sat up in your room all weekend, jerking off, while you completely neglected your work." I put on a face of mock shock. Even though it is partly true, I'm not going to let him know that.

"Wow, how'd you know?"

"Seriously?"

"Nope!" We were walking on one of the only paths on Kin Island, beside the only road on Kin Island. If you could call it a road. Just an overly wide route. It was odd to see more then one car on it at any given time, due to the fact that not a single resident on Kin Island owned a car. It was mainly just tourists who wanted a 'break' from their boring urban life's. The 'road' stretches from Kin island port, through the town, over Bond Bridge, and to the edge of Berry Forest, which, back in 05, had been partly cut down in order to build a school. Before then, we had to get a high-speed ferry to Knot Island.

"So, what you two do during the weekend?" I asked them both. I honestly didn't care much, but seeing as I accidentally _flung_my MP3 Player against the wall last week in a feat of rage, I might as well talk to them. I have an iPod Nano aswell, which I managed to buy last month with my savings, but I'm not stupid enough to bring that in. I don't trust the people in our school.

"We went to Treasure Beach and played a bit o' footy." Alex replied. Those two were as close to brothers as possible. I envied them. He was tall, bordering on 6'2, and good enough looking (I'm not gay, but I'm not blind either). His hair was spiked up aswell, and although he had just as many freckles as me, he could pull it off so that they looked cute. "Yourself? The usual?" I scowl.

"Yep. The usual." The usual consists of me, in my house. Thats it. Nothing more. I don't get out much, not that I haven't been asked; I'm just kind of anti-social I suppose. I find it hard to come across long standing friends. Could be my arrogance. My (lack of) popularity. My choice in music, anything really.

Ray gave a short trike as we rounded a corner. The main school building literally jumped out at us, due to shoddy planning. There is less than 15 meters of path left. I turn my head slightly to the side and gaze at the entrance to Berry Forest. Tall, dark trees loom over the path into the forest, gradually darkening it until it looks like the mouth of an unknown cave. No light at all. Just darkness. Startlingly enough, all that empty blackness seems strangely welcoming. A place of solitude. A place of silence. A place to escape...

"Ben, what the hell are you doin?" Jamie calls. I jump, startled. I had taken an involuntary step towards Berry Forest. I spin around to face the others. They had already climbed the stone steps to the entrance of the build before realizing I was gone and abruptly started calling for me. Other students started looking at me as I passed. I tried to look back at them with a blank expression. Some of the younger students quickly averted their gaze, but the older ones who knew of me well enough continued to stare.

"I...I...dunno" I stammer. Dear God, did I actually just stammer? I mean, wow. I'm not really the kind of person who stammers.

"What were you thinking?" Alex asked.

I try to act like it was nothing and shrug it off "I was tryin to remember what last night was like with your mom, but it was so wild I forgot most of it." Alex slaps the back of my head and starts chasing me into the school, leaving Jamie behind because he's leaning against the doorway, laughing. Ray yaps at our heals playfully.

As we run, (well, jog for me. I'm not necessarily fit, but Alex is definitely the slowest in our base class) I get a chance to think of why I did what I did. And no, I don't mean slagging off Alex's mom, thats normal. I mean almost walking into the Forest. As of late, strange noises have been heard coming out of it, and its not unheard of someone running out of it, screaming their heads off with fear. They never say why. I know, cliché.

"Hey, boys, no running, you could hurt someone." Our English teacher, Mr. Woulfe shouts at us from the opposite end of the corridor. He didn't really shout, but he has a really loud, booming voice. We skid to a stop. Mr. Woulfe is as sound (islands word for cool) as teachers come, but you wouldn't want to get on his bad side.

"Sorry Sir." We reply in quick unison, while he walks over to us.

He stares us down a while before smirking. "Go on, your reg 'll be soon." We nod and part with a quick 'Yes Sir,' before hurrying up the main stairs to our tutor's classroom. It's Monday, so Ms. Whelan is late, as usual. She lives over at One Island on the weekends, but rents out a house by the beach for the rest of the week so she can teach us. "And put that damn Pokemon in its ball." he calls after us.

I silently withdraw Ray. Your Pokemon is only aloud out during certain classes and Break.

"Where'd you two disappear to?" Jamie asks, hurrying over to us.

"He chased me around half the bloody school" I say, indicating Alex with my thumb.

"Yeah, well don't slag of my ma, she's a saint." He growls at me. None of us mean it when we slag off each other. Most of the time.

"Whatever." I reply dismissively, before settling myself on a desk beside Jolly. His lasts name is actually Jolly, so we tend to just call him that. I start to lazily stare around the room, as the topic our little group is talking about doesn't seem too interesting. Our class is generally divided up into 3 groups during reg. Ours, which is the kind of cool'ish group. I'm only there because of Jamie and Alex, but as I'm doing today, I often end up staring off into space.

Next is the popular girls. They're a group of girls, who, when we're aloud to wear our own clothes in instead of these itchy green jumpers and stiff shirts, wear skimpy pants and tops. They flirt with everything in sight. Even some of the teachers. I'm probably the only guy my age that doesn't fancy a girl like that. They often end up going out with some of the guys here, but so far, they've been to good for me.

Across from them is another group of girls. These girls I like. Most of them are Twi-Hards, but they don't act like it too much. I once heard of some girls who drowned this little kid because he never read the books. Creepy huh? They have their own little group away from us, generally because they're well smarter then us.

"Ummmm, Ben?" I snap my head back around to Jamie and he raises one of his eyebrow. Damn, how does he do that? I can only never get just the one eyebrow to rise. "Don't you have homework to do?"

"Awwww, I do don't I?" I turn around and sit down in my chair. I'm about to take out my books, but then I realize something. I turn back to Jamie. "How d'you know I have to do my homework?"

He smiles knowingly "Mate, I've been in the same class as you for three years, and in the course of those three years, you have never finished all your homework _at_ home."

"Ha, I suppose I haven't." Its true, I'm a bit of a procrastinator. I'll tell you about it later.

At that moment, Alice decides to sit down in her place beside me. She's one of the popular girls. I'm about to take out my books when she turns to me. "You're so annoying." I swear to God, I actually felt my eye twitch. Great. My eye can twitch, but I can't raise my eyebrow? How screwy is that. I sigh and take out my History books and speed through the few questions we were given. I finish it just as Ms Whelan walks in the door. I stuff them back in my bag quickly.

Ms Whelan proceeds to call the role quickly as she can. "Jamie White?" A 'Here Miss' from behind me follows that. More names, more replies. Passes my name, and I too reply with a 'Here Miss.' Last up is Paige Johnson. I lazily raise my head to look at her. Of all the people in the class, I feel like I can connect with her the easiest.

Straight, chestnut brown hair that shimmers at the slightest movement, with eyes of a similar colour. Same height as me, skinny, but not too skinny and pale skin that directly contrasts her hair. I'm not going to lie; she's good to look at (What, I'm a guy, remember?). As I said, I can connect with her easy. She knows how to make me laugh. I wouldn't call us friends, but we get on well.

"Here Miss." She replies, her voice like velvet. Ms Whelan dismisses us and we get up noisily.

"So, what we got first?" I ask to no one in particular.

"Eh, a double class of Pokemon Caring, then Maths, Break, History, a double of Pokemon Battling 101 and then Lunch." Luke answers, smiling. I smile back.

"Oh, My Polyamorous friend, you got me in a mess of trouble again." I quote. His smile broadens. Although he's definitely the most popular in our class, we've gained a sort of friendship, mainly due to the fact that were the only people we know of in the school who like Breaking Benjamin. And yes, he is actually Polyamorous.

In our school, you get to choose your three option subjects. There's the Pokemon related ones: Pokemon Caring, Breeding and Coordinating. Battling 101 is mandatory, but there is an advanced class. This is generally for people with more then one Pokemon. Then there's the basic classes, like Art, Music, Buisness Studies, etc. You have to choose at least one from both the Pokemon related ones, and the normal ones.

The rest of day passed by in a blur, all the classes seemed to blend together, causing a jumbled array of images that seemed to randomly pop out at me. Being congratulated in front of the class for exceptional work, talking to Paige, being invited out by her and her friends. Actually accepting. For the first time in a while, I was actually enjoying myself in school.

Then it happened.

It was during Battling 101. Luke and I were having a battle. Ray vs. his Mudkip, Fin. We were winning without even breaking a sweat. It was hardly an even match though, was it?

"Good match." Luke calls from the other side of the small arena. I hadn't noticed, but Fin had fainted. I was watching our teacher talk to the counsellor. I can never remember his name. They were casting fleeting glances at me with solemn looks on their faces. Eventually, they called me over.

They pulled me into a corner and looked into my eyes. Was I in trouble? Did I do something bad? No, certainly not, I haven't gotten into trouble in a while.

Almost immediately, my unspoken question was answered. "Ben, I'm so sorry. It's your mother. She's dead."

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**Gasp! Bet you didn't see that coming {rolls eyes}. Anyhow, I managed to get this up before school so I think I'm gonna start setting myself deadlines. I'm going to say once a month **_**at least**_**. I'll try and get two up a month, but I doubt I can.**

**Not the funnest thing to write, but I'd say that was because I just got a PS3. Most of the time I was writing this, I was craving MW2. That thing is addictive.**

**No longer accepting OC's, for personal reasons, but I will accept ideas. If you have any, feel free to share them.**

**R&R**


	3. Sleepless Nights

**Yeah, I have no excuse for my very long hiatus. It just kinda happened, sorry.  
This chapter is groundbreaking by any means, but I wanted to get something out so I could get back on track.  
Enjoy!**

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"Ben? Ben, wake up!" I slowly raised my head up from my desk. I hadn't even bothered to rest my head on my arms, I just conked out on the table. A small pool of drool had formed and my cheek felt hot and sticky. "Look, sleep all you want at home, but when you do it here your snoring kind of interrupts my teaching." Miss Grayy said wearily. Some people laughed a bit, but most were more than used to it by now.

"Sorry Miss." I grumbled before resting my head back on the desk. I heard her sigh before turning back to what she was writing on the board.

"You know, I don't see why you even bother coming into school. All you do is sleep." Luke whispered beside me. He almost looked like he was going to fall asleep too, but that was more from boredom that exhaustion like me.

"Yeah, well, your face."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"That's what she said" I was already bored of this conversation. I wanted to get back to my nap.

"Now that could make sense. If this 'she' you speak of thought that the person she was getting with was actually a guy, but it turned out to be a man with a lack of 'manhood' or just a really buff lesbian who in turn thought that she was a lesbian." He paused. I cracked an eye open curiously. He was staring down at me. "You're not even listening to my riveting recount of the night out I had in Celadon are you?"

"Not in the slightest." I promptly turned away from him and within seconds I was asleep again. I almost felt bad for Luke. He tried to comfort me and stay friends with me. Almost all the others started to avoid me, as if they might catch something.

Death was not common on our island. Most people lived into their eighties. The last reported murder was over thirty years ago and suicide was as good as nonexistent. Occasionally someone might fall off the cliff face and into the ocean, but even then it's sparse. That was until recently. Three people have fallen to their deaths in the last 5 years. Two of whom I'm related to.

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I threw my bag down on the floor inside the hall and collapsed in front of the television. Rey followed behind me and proceeded to groom himself. I felt time pass slowly as I watched reruns of sitcoms. They spouted jokes that were tired and boring, most of them bordering on cliché. I heard the watch on my arm beep, signalling it was half five. I made myself a quick dinner of some instant noodles, which I wolfed down, before changing for work.

The summer was slowly receding into autumn, but the heat of the sun still shined down on our quaint little island, combated only by a cool breeze that drifted in from Sinnoh. I made a quick stop to grab a coffee from the Pokemart and then headed towards the quarry. It tasted like muck but at least it kept me going through my shift.

Rey bounded ahead of me and sat himself patiently on the massive rock that signalled the entrance to the town, his tongue hanging out of his mouth lazily. I felt a smile twitch on the corner of my mouth. Rey was the one constant throughout the last ten months. He was always there, curled up at my side or yapping at my ankles.

As I passed he jumped down off the rock and started zigzagging his way onto the beach. He sniffed something and darted off, only to reappear carrying single sandal that someone must have lost. I squatted down and scratched him behind his ear. He inclined his head upwards and let his tongue hang out once more, panting.

"I'm sorry buddy but you've got to get in your ball now." He let out a single "Trike" before he returned to his ball. Only certain Pokémon were allowed to work on the quarry, and they were generally ones that could help with the heavy lifting. While electric Pokémon can definitely be of use at the work place, Rey wasn't high enough level to keep up.

The quarry is the main place of employment for people on the island. It was founded my one man, who spent months digging into the cliffside until he finally struck gold. While gold finds are very rare, we also dig up large quantities of marble and quartzite. It's very lucrative for the island.

This was one of my longer shifts, not ending until two in the morning. Luke's parents got me a job here once I turned sixteen in order to keep me afloat. The money I make here, along with the insurance money that got payed out to my name is enough to keep me going.

I like working here. It keeps me distracted. The rhythmic pace that sets in as soon as you start does not let up until closing time. The other workers were sceptical about me when I started, but they soon accepted me and now treat me as equally as everyone else.

Once my shift ends I barely have enough strength to walk home. It is an amazing effort just to get changed for bed. Some nights I collapse straight onto my bed, too exhausted to even take off my shoes. I'll wake in the morning to find a dirty imprint of my face on my pillow.

However, no matter how tired work makes me, sleep escapes me. I will lie awake for hours, my limbs aching. I would be lucky to get a couple of hours of rest, let alone a whole night. It could be the coffee still coursing through me, but it's more likely something else. The house is eerily quiet at night. Rey sleeps at the end of my bed, but he doesn't make a sound. He has so much energy while he's awake but he'll fall asleep at the drop of a hat.

I guess I've gotten so used to my mother crying at night that I can't sleep without it.

And that sickens me.

To be so utterly dependant on someone else's misfortune disturbs me, especially my own mothers, a misfortune that I shared. Unfortunately (or fortunately, whatever way you look at it) there is no one that shares this with me.

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"Are you sure you want to go through with this sir?" a woman asked. She walked briskly behind a smartly dressed man as they descended through dimly lit grey corridors. Her hair was tied up on the top of her head in a bobbin and her head was held high. "He is your ow-"

"I bloody well know that Sylvia. The boy needs to learn and he needs to be prepared." The man barked back, a slight Irish accent creeping through. His black suit was too small for him and it hugged the muscles on his arms. "I wouldn't have made these preparations if I didn't think it was necessary."

The pair arrived at a steel door. The words 'Authorised Personnel Only' was painted on in big black letters. The man typed something in on a keypad beside the door and it swung open, revealing a large, high-ceilinged room. Human sized test tubes lined the walls on each side and computer monitors beside the flashed with different information. Misshapen shadows could be seen inside of the tubes and scientist darted between them writing information down on clipboards.

The two made their way towards a single, smaller test tube in the middle of the room. Unlike the other tubes this one was clear. Inside of it a small pink Pokémon could be seen curled up in a ball. Various fluids were pumped in out and out of its body through a series of small medical tubes.

"At last, we are ready!"

"_Mew."_

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**Ooooh, somethings actually happening :P  
Expect more soon.  
R&R Please.**


	4. The Maw

**I'm not going to bother making excuses this time. I wrote this because I really felt like writing something and had some time to kill. I probably wont update it again but hey, I'm not one to predict the future. If I do get around to this story again then the first thing I'll probably do is rewrite the the first few chapters because, reading back over them, a lot of that doesn't sit well with me. Just enjoy this for what it is :D**

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"And then I said 'That's not a Diglett!" The backing track of laughter echoed out of the television speakers, filling the room with its noise. I grabbed the remote and flicked the show off, bored. I pushed myself off the sofa and cracked my neck, stiff from lying there for so long and glanced out the window. It was a bright sunny day, relatively hot for mid October.

"_Fuck it; I'm going for a walk"_ I decided. I had been cooped up in the house all day and a little fresh air sounded like a great idea. It was one of the rare days when I didn't have work or school. To this day I don't know what prompted me to go outside. Normally I would be happy to waste away on the couch but I felt like I needed to be out, like something was calling me.

I grabbed my keys off the table in the hallway and reached for the door. Glimpsing myself in the mirror that hung above the table I noticed that all I was wearing was a pair of faded jeans. Sighing I turned and stared at my reflection. Over the past few months my body had toned from working at the quarry, with my upper body having become especially muscular. My chest and back used to be covered in pimples and blackheads but they have mostly faded, leaving behind a few pockmarks. My face was mostly cleared up as well but at that moment my hair hung in front of it so you couldn't really tell. Most of the freckles on my face were mostly fading away as well but the ones on my arms showed no signs of going away.

I rushed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. I grabbed the first item of clothing I could find, a light blue t-shirt that had the design of the Blackthorn City Blastoise Soccer team and stuffed myself into it. As I bounded down the stairs I pulled my hair back into a ponytail. I had been wearing it like this for the past while, not because of some style or anything, but because it was easier to manage. Frankly, I didn't give a flying Pidgey shit what anyone else thought of it

Ray was sitting patiently at the end of the stairs waiting for me. I smiled and patted his head before I opened the door. A light breeze brushed the fallen leaves off the ground as we set out towards nowhere in particular. We ended up at the Pokémart so I bought myself a can of Green Tauros and a snack for Ray that was shaped like a Kabutops skeleton. I leaned against the side of the building as I downed the energy drink and Ray nibbled on his treat.

As Ray ate I started to think about Phoebe. The Kabutops was always her favourite. She wandered off soon after my mam died and I haven't seen her since. She had been with the family since before I was born and was the kitten of my mother's Persian that she had when she was a trainer. I missed her, even if I never had the same kind of relationship with her that I have with Ray.

I had become so engrossed in Ray as he attacked his food that I didn't notice there was someone in front of me until they tapped me on the shoulder. My eyes travelled up her body as I looked up at her. She was wearing a pair of red Converse and a denim mini skirt, with black leggings underneath that hugged her legs. Her top was light pink with a dancing Clefairy on it. Her hair hung down over one shoulder and she had a silver chain around her neck with an Eevee dangling from it. As my eyes met hers she smiled and I found myself smiling back.

"Heya Ben, what's up?" Paige chirped. I don't think I had ever seen this girl without a smile on her face. She was always brimming with positivity that it was practically infectious. "I'd say that this is the first time in a while that I've seen you outside of school" She stuck her tongue out.

"Yeah I guess it is," I replied "I've been kind of busy lately."

"Oh yeah that's right, you got a job working at the quarry. How's that going for you?" That smile never left her face.

"Its grand. Its hard work but it's rewarding and it keeps me afloat."

"So what are you up to at the moment? Doing some shopping?"

"Nah, I just felt like going for a walk. Needed to get out of the house."

"Well are you heading anywhere in particular or just wandering?"

"Just wandering"

"Well in that case I'll join you, I don't really feel like going home just yet" For a moment a look crossed her face. If I hadn't been paying attention I probably wouldn't have noticed but I saw something in her eyes, something oddly familiar. I was about to say something but at that moment Ray, having finally finished his snack, noticed that Paige was there and jumped up at her, yapping. That look was gone as soon it had come and I was already beginning to doubt that I had seen anything at all. Paige picked up Ray and he licked her on the cheek. I laughed, Ray had always liked Paige.

"So let's get going then" Ray jumped out of her arms and dashed off as she grabbed my hand, pulling me away from the wall. Her hand lingered there for just a moment before she dropped it. It almost felt like she was hesitant about it but nah, that's impossible, it was just my imagination.

She talked about everything and anything. I didn't really contribute much to the conversation but that didn't really matter, she talked enough for the both of us. Ray ran around our feet constantly almost tripping us up on more than one occasion.

As we were crossing Bond Bridge I got a chance to take a good look at her. She really was beautiful. Her hair blew behind her slightly in the light breeze with a few strands of her fringe falling down over her forehead and her eyes were constantly alight as she talked. Whenever she smiled at me it was impossible not to smile back and I was laughing at every little joke she told.

I've always liked this about Paige. I feel comfortable around her and she can make me feel happy even when I'm not in the mood. In the weeks after my mother passed I saw a lot of pity in the eyes of everyone around me but in her I saw empathy. The day after the funeral she came up to me and told me that if I ever needed a shoulder to cry on that she'd be there. I never took her up on that offer. I felt that if I did it would make me weak but there were days were it was tempting. Oh so very tempting.

It took me a moment to notice that she wasn't talking anymore. She was staring straight at me with one eyebrow raised (God Dammit!). Wait, did she just ask me a question? I zoned out of the conversation a little, lost in her. Stupid bloody hormones, they're always catching me unawares. Last thing I could remember was her telling me about a Pokémon egg she had received from an uncle overseas.

"Um… yes?" I answered hesitantly, testing the water.

She made a pouty face and flicked me on the forehead. "Yes is not a good name for a baby Ralts. I was thinking Vivi if it's a girl but I can't think of anything if it's a boy"

"Hmmm," I screwed my face up in concentration "Oh I know, how about Excalibur!"

She made a face and flicked me on the forehead again "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response. Wasn't there a knight in the King Arthur stories whose name was something similar to Gallade though?"

"You mean Galahad the Pure? From that one Monty Python film?"

"Yeah that's the one, Galahad."

"Galahad is a bit long winded. How does Gale sound?"

"Gale! That's perfect." she beamed and threw herself at me in a hug. I staggered a bit before I regained my footing and hugged her back. We stood there for a while before I tried to untangle myself from her but she just held on tighter. I didn't really know what to do so my arms went limp and just hung at my sides. She hung onto me for a few more seconds before she let go.

"Is everything alright?" I asked, concerned. She turned away from me before I got a chance to look at her face properly.

"Yeah, everything's fine." She said quietly before racing off "Hey look we're at the school" The subject change was so obvious but I decided not to push the matter. She was right; we had arrived at the rusty front gates of the school. They were shut with an equally rusty padlock around them. "It's so eerie when it's not full of students" Her voice had returned to its normal chirpy self.

"That it is" I replied when I caught up to her. Ray bounded up beside me and sat down on his haunches. We stood there and stared at the school for what seemed like an age in absolute silence. I felt a little awkward and couldn't think of anything to say to strike up the conversation. I scratched my head and shuffled my feet, feeling more and more out of place with every passing second.

"Come on, it's getting late, we should probably start heading back." The sun was setting behind the big grey building and cast long shadows behind us. I turned around to look at her but before I got a chance to say anything the world erupted in noise.

This unearthly growl came from the entrance to Berry Forest. It sounded like nothing human or Pokémon that I had ever heard before. I turned my attention to the entrance of the forest. The way the light receded into darkness made it look like the maw of some great beast and that the forest itself was making the noise.

"Ben!" Paige screamed. I only barely heard her over the din. She was floating in the air, her body at least a metre off the ground. Ray was jumping and snapping at her feet, snarling. I reached out to grab her but just as my hand was about to clasp around her wrist she was tugged forward by some unknown force and sent flying into the forest.

"Paige!" I yelled, but it was too late. She was already gone. As suddenly as that growl had started it stopped, leaving behind a piercing silence. I collapsed to my knees and stared at the floor, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

It didn't make any sense. People don't just up and levitate willy-nilly. There was something else at play, something _wrong_. My first thought was that a Psychic Pokémon had taken her but that was impossible. The only Psychic Pokémon ever recorded in Berry Forest were Drowsee and Hypno, but all of them were rounded up and captured when this little girl was spirited off into the forest a while back. Besides, while Hypno have been known to carry off humans and feed on their dreams, none have the pure Psychic power to do that to a human. That kind of work would require a Special Attack stat of something like an Alakazam.

"Trike!" Ray barked. I looked up to see him pacing at the entrance to the forest, impatiently waiting for me. I pushed myself up off the ground and made my way over to him.

"You're right Ray, there's only one thing we can about this."

* * *

**Well there you have it. I actually do have a plot for this, I'm just too lazy to actually put my head down and do something about it.**


End file.
